Manually held knife sharpening device



Oct. 9, 1956 B. K. MURCHISON 2,765,680

MANUALLY HELD KNIFE SHARPENING DEVICE Filed Feb. l0, 1953 FIG. 2 Fm 3 F|G.5 FIGA INVENTOR.

ELEM/0M MANUALLY HELD KNIFE SHARPENING DEVISE Blackwell K. Murchison, Brooklyn, N. Y.; Bessie F. Murchison, executrix of said Blackwell l. Murchison, deceased Application February 10, 1953, Serial No. 336,043

1 Claim. (Cl. 7th-86) This invention relates to a manually held knife sharpening device.

Knife sharpening devices are generally made and intended to be secured to a xed support. For one reason or another, it is not possible or practical to hold them in one hand and to draw a knife across them with the other hand.

It is the principal object of this invention to provide a knife sharpening device which may very conveniently be held in one hand while a knife or other article of cutlery or the like is drawn across it with the other hand. There is no need and indeed no provision is made to fasten the knife sharpening device herein claimed to a fixed support in order that it may properly or conveniently be used. In essence, it comprises a handle which may be held at one end and cutters at the opposite end of said handle. When the handle is held in the hand, a knife may be drawn across the cutters to apply a very eicient sharpening action to the knife.

Another important object of this invention is the provision of a knife sharpening device of the character described in which a stamped metal handle is provided for holding said device in the hand and for mounting and supporting the cutters. It is the purpose of this invention to provide a superior knife sharpening device at a relatively low cost and the use of a single stamping which serves as the mounting for the cutters and which also serves as the handle for holding the device, is productive of just such low-cost knife sharpening device.

Another object of this invention is the provision of a knife sharpening device in which the cutters are mounted for both angular and lineal adjustment relative to each other. The cutters are supported on rotatably mounted supports which may be turned independently of each other in either direction relative to each other. At least one of these supports is fixed against lineal movement toward or away from the other support. The other support is movable lineally toward and away from the rst support. Consequently, the cutters may be adjusted in every possible way and direction relative to each other.

When they are adjusted angularly relative to each other, the cutting angle is changed. The cutting angle on one side may remain constant and the cutting angle on the opposite side may be varied. It is therefore possible to sharpen a knife or any other article of cutlery or the like or any tool such as a chisel, with one cutting angle on one side and another cutting angle on the opposite side. The cutting angle may, of course, be identical on both sides, as is usually the case. The range of angular variations is extremely wide. rl`he narrowest or most acute is limited only by the thickness of the blade of the knife or other article of cutlery or the like which is to be inserted between the cutters of the present device. The cutting angle may be as wide or obtuse as desired, the range being anywhere up to but not including 180 degrees.

Another object of this invention is the provision of a knife sharpening device of the character described, Wherefsc in the rotatably mounted cutter supports carry not only cutters for a knife cutting or sharpening operation, but also honing blocks for a honing operation. The same relationship and adjustment that obtain between the cutters as above described also obtain between the honing blocks. The cutters and honing blocks are mounted in the same manner on the same supports in precisely the same relation to the axes on which said supports are adapted to rotate. Consequently, the hone blocks will assume the same positions relative to each other as the cutters are adapted to assume with respect to each other.

Furthermore, it is possible to employ a cutter on one side and a hone on the opposite side so as to provide a cutting action on one side of a knife and a honing action on the opposite side. By the same token, it is possible with the device herein claimed to apply both a cutting action and a honing action simultaneously on the same side of the knife.

Still another object of this invention is the provision of a knife sharpening device of the character described wherein the cutters and/ or honing members are quickly and easily adjustable relative to each other, both angularly and lineally. A screw or nut need only be loosened and tightened in order to re-set or readjust the cutters and/or honing members. The screw or nut does not itself constitute the adjusting means but rather the means for clamping the cutter and hone supports in place. Adjustment is a manual operation and it involves simply turning these supports manually in either direction when the screw or nut is loose and then tightening said screw or nut to clamp said supports in place.

Preferred forms of this invention are shown in the accompanying drawing in which:

Fig. 1 is a plan view of a knife sharpening device made in accordance with one form of this invention.

Fig. 2 is a side view thereof.

Fig. 3 is an end view.

Fig. 4 is a cross-sectional view on the line 4 4 of Fig. 2.

Fig. 5 is a fragmentary side view similar to that of Fig. 2, but showing the honing members in operative positions and the cutters in inoperative positions, this being the reverse of what is shown in Fig. 2.

Fig. 6 is a plan view of a knife sharpening device made in accordance with a modified form of this invention.

The rst form of this invention as illustrated in the iirst tive figures of the drawing comprises the following component parts: A handle 10, a bolt l2, la rotatably mounted support 14 on said bolt, a nut i6 on said bolt, a cutter 18 on said support 14, a second bolt 2li, a second rotatably mounted support 22 on bolt 26, a second cutter 24 on said support 22, a nut 26 on bolt 2i), a honing member 2S on support i4, a second honing member 31B on support 22 and an adjusting frame 32 on handle l which serves also as a thumb rest to facilitate holding said handle.

Handle 10 is made of a single strip of sheet metal which is bent double to form a pair of spaced arms im and liib respectively. lt will be seen in Fig. 2 that the two arms of the handle are provided with enlarged portions lGc which project downwardly therefrom. As viewed in Fig. 2, the poition of the handle which is disposed to the left of enlargements lc is the handle proper which is held in the hand during the course of the knife sharpening operations. The enlarged portions of the handle serve as the supporting frames for the knife sharpening elements and they may also be used to steady the knife sharpening device on a suitable horizontal surface when the knife is drawn across the knife sharpening elements.

Bolt l2 projects through registering holes which are formed at the free ends of the arms of the handle. The

head of the bolt abuts the outside of one of said arms. Nut i6 abuts the outside of the other of said arms. Mounted on bolt 12 between the two arrns .is supporting member .1d and also a spacer 34. When nut T6 is loose on bolt 12, support 14 is free to turn on said bolt. Once it is turned to desired position, nut 16 is tightened on said bolt and support 14 is thereby clamped in said desired position.

Bolt 20 projects through elongated holes or slots 36 in the arms of the handle a spaced distance from the holes which accommodate bolt 12. These elongated slots extend longitudinally of the handle and consequently bolt 2li is rendered longitudinally adjustable relative to bolt 12, either toward or away therefrom. The head of bolt 2) is disposed adjacent the outer side of one of the arms of the handle and nut 26 is disposed adjacent the outer side of the other arm of the handle. Mounted on said bolt 20 between the two arms of the handle are support 22 and spacer 38.

Adjusting frame 32 is a stamped member which has a yoke 32a and a pair of side arms 32b and 32C respectively. Yoke 32a is a horizontally extending portion with upwardly curved ends 32d and 32e respectively. This portion serves as a thumb rest for the hand in which the handle is held and the upwardly curved end portions help to retain the thumb in position on said yoke portion 32a and to prevent the thumb from slipping off said yoke portion, particularly during the knife sharpening operation.

The two side arms 32h and 32C project downwardly from yoke 32a in two parallel planes. Registering holes are formed in said side arms to accommodate bolt 2t). The two side arms of said adjusting frame are disposed outside of the two arms of the handle and between said handle arms and the head and nut of bolt 20. Consequently, when the nut is tightened on said bolt, support 22 will be locked in place. When the nut `is loosened on said bolt, it is possible to shift the adjusting frame 32 either forwardly toward bolt 12 or backwardly therefrom and this would have the effect of moving bolt 2t) and Support 22 either toward or away from bolt 12 and support 14. At the same time, it would be possible to turn support 22 on bolt 20 to change its angular position thereon. Once nut 26 is tightened, support 22 will be clamped in its newly acquired position.

Cutters 18 and 24 are blocks or bars of extremely hard cutting metal Stich as the various carbide metals which are sold under the trademark Carboloy of Carboloy Co., lnc. These bars or blocks of carbide metal are ground to form a beveled cutting edge. They are then inserted into channels which are formed in the two supports 14 and 22 and they are suitably cemented or otherwise secured therein. The cutters are adapted to overlap each other in the manner shown .in Figs. 1 and 2 so as to form the V-shaped cutting slot for the knife as shown in said Fig. 2. This V-shaped cutting slot may be narrowed or widened depending upon the respective angular positions of the two cutters. It may be opened or closed depending upon the respective longitudinal positions of the two cutters. This V-sh'aped cutting slot is designated in Fig. 2 by means of the reference character 40.

Honing members 28 and 30 are similarly secured to the two supports 14 and 22. They may be brought into overlapping operative positions as shown in Fig. 5 by lsimply loosening nuts 16 and 28 and turning supports' 14 and 22 until they reach their respective angular positions shown in Fig. 5. Nuts 16 and 26 should then be tightened and the supports will be locked in their Fig. 5 positions,

Fig. 6 is a modified form of the invention but it is similar in principle to the rst form above described. it differs only in the following respect: The space between arms 50 and 52 is wider than the space between arms 16a and 10b and arms 54 and 56 are similarly more widely spaced from each other than arms 32h and 32e. Mounted on bolt 58 is a pair of spacers 6) and 62 and a support 64 between them. Mounted on bolt 66 is a pair ot supports 68 and 79 and a spacer 72 between them. The same arrangement of parts, including nuts obtains in this form of the invention as in the irst form above described. There are, however, three cutters 74, 76 and 7S in place of the two cutters 24 and 18. However, cutters 74 and 76 are spaced from each other to receive cutters 7S between them so as to provide the Same overlapping or mcshed relationship which is provided in the rst form of the invention.

There are thus illustrated two forms of the invention wherein two cutters are used in one form and three cutters in the second form. lt must clearly be understood that this is purely illustrative and cutters in greater or lesser numbers may be employed in connection with the purposes of this invention.

lt will be understood that notches or cutouts 8i) are formed in the arms of the handles of both forms of thc invention. These notches or cut-outs are pro-vided immediately below or in registration with the V-shaped cutting space or channel 4G so as to provide sufficient ciearance for the knife edge.

The foregoing is illustrative of preferred forms of this invention and it will be understood that these pro ferred forms may be modiied and other forms may be provided within the broad spirit of the invention and the broad scope of the claim.

I claim:

A knife sharpening device, comprising a handle having a pair of spaced, parallel arms at one end, parallel offset portions on said arms which are adapted to rest upon a table or other suitable support to support said knife sharpening device thereon while the handle is held in the hand, a pair of registering holes formed in said armsl and a bolt extending tirough said holes, a pair of registering elongated holes formed in said arms a spaced distance from the tirst mentioned holes and extending longitudinaliy of said arms, a second bolt extending through said elongated holes and being movable longitudinally of said arms in either direction, a support rotatably mounted on thc lrst bolt between said arms, a second support mounted on the second bolt also between said arms, a spacer between the first support and one ot said arms, a second spacer between the second -dport and the other of said arms, whereby the two supports are held in oiset relationship, an adjusting trame mounted on said handle, said adjusting frame having a yoke which extends across the space between the two arms of the handle and a pair of side arms which abut thc arms of the handle, said side arms havin`-l registering holes formed therein to receive the second bolt, nuts on the two bolts for clamping the two supports in seiected angular positions about their respective bolts and relative to each other, and for clamping the second bolt in selected positions longitudinally of the two arms of the handic and reiativc to the first bolt, and knife sharpening members mounted on the two supports in overlapping relation to cach other.

References Cited in the tile of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 66,837 l-lerthal .lilly 16, 1867 457,965 Bradford Aug. 18, 189i 1,516,997 Watts Nov. 25, 1924 1,578,264 Church Mar. 30, 1926 1,732,360 Hanson Oct. 22, 1929 

